The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-12-24
christmas STORY.
From Harper's Magazine for December.
CAPTAIN SANTA CLAUS.
BY CAPT. CHARLES KING, U. s. A.

There was unusual commotion in the
frontier mining town when the red stage,
snow-covered and storm beaten, lurched up
in front of the Bella Union and began to
disgorge passengers and mail. The crowd
on the wooden sidewalk was of that cosmo-
mopolitan type which rich and recently
discovered ''leads" so surely attract; tough
looking miners; devil-may-care cowboys
with rolling hat brims and barbaric display
of deadly weapons; choice coterie of gam
blers with exaggerated suavity of manners;
several impassive Cinnamon every clean);
several loafng Indians Every dirty; brace
of spruce, clean-shaven, trim-built soldiers
from the garrison down the valley; and the
inevitable squad of cheats with bleary
eyes and wolfsh faces infesting the door
ways of the saloons, sublimely trustful of
a community that had long ceased to trust
them, and seeming eleemosynary possibili-
ties in each newcomer.
But while the arrival of the stage was
source of perennial excitement in the BUSH
ness centre of Argentopolis, the commotion
on this occasion was due to the tumultuous
welcome given by mob of school-children
to a tall, bronzed, fercely moustached party
the instant he stepped, fur-clad, from the
dark interior Such an array of eager,
Joyous little faces one seldom sees. Big
boys and wee maidens, they threw them
selves upon him with shrill clamor and en-
thusiastic embraces, swarming about his
legs as, with twinkling eyes and genial
greeting, be lifted the little ones high in
air and kissed their dimpled cheeks, and
shook the struggling boys heartily by the
hand, and was pulled this way and that
way until eventually borne off in triumph
toward the spick-span new shop, with its
glittering white front and alluring display
of fruit, pastry and confectionery, all her
aided forth under the grandiloquent but
delnsive sign, "Bald Eagle Bakery"
Upon this tumultuous reception Argen-
topolis gagged for some moments in wonder
ing silence. When the tFaRsfer of the
children and their willing captive to point
some dozen yards away rendered converse
ton a possibility, the spokesman of the
sidewalk committee shifted his quid, and
formulated in frontier phrase the question
which seemed uppermost IN the public
mind;
"Who'n thunder's that ?"
'.That?" said the soldier addressed.
aThat's Captain Ransom. It's good times
the kids'll be having now.
"B'long to your regiment p
"Yes; Captain of 'B' troop. Been away
on leave ever since we got here"
Seems fond o children, said the Ar
cosmopolitan, reaectively. @Got any of his
own p
''Nary. He b'longs to the whole crowd.
The 'B' company fellers'll be glad he's
back. They think as much of him as the
kids do"
''Good officer, Ell p
aYou bet; amt no better in the cavalry. "
At this unequivocal endorsement from
expert authority the eyes of Argentopolis
again followed the big man in the fur over
coat. With three or four youngsters tug
giug at each hand, and dozen revolving
irregularly about him, he was striding
across the street, keeping up running fire
of chatter with his thronging satellites.
Soldier he was PROFESSIONALLY. Tall, erect
of carriage, broad of shoulder, deep of
chest, with a keen, quick glance from under
his heavy brows. Eyes full of light and
fire, nose straight and prominent, a great
moustache that hid the curves Of his hand
some mouth and swept out across thesquare
and resolute jaws--a moustache that, like
the wavy brown hair about the temples,
was tingeing with gray. Strong white
teeth glistened through the dropping thatch
and one or two merry dimples dotted bis
bronzed and weatherbeaten cheeks.
Over on the neighboring side street,
J from the steps Of the school house, other